


Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

by PinstripesAndConverse



Category: City of Love: Paris (Visual Novel)
Genre: Always Let Esteban Take a Nap, F/M, Is Silly Fluff, Previous Raphael Laurent/MC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 20:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13302444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinstripesAndConverse/pseuds/PinstripesAndConverse
Summary: Esteban, the precious canine soulmate of one Vincent Karm, is nowhere to be found but his tracking chip puts him at the City of Love: Paris office.  Vincent investigates only for drama with Raphael Laurent to ensue.  Established Vincent Karm X MC, MC is named.





	Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Sophia returned to her desk after the editorial meeting to find several missed calls and a single text message from Vincent.

_Please call me._

One voicemail.

She glanced at Louise's desk to find it empty. Good. She still talking to Raphael then. She listened the voicemail, keeping her face impassive as she heard three words she never expected to.

"Esteban is missing."

She paused in logging into her computer as she heard the pain in his voice. Never, not even in their discussions of deceased best friends, did he ever sound so... _broken_. Her chest tightened at the sound.

"And by missing, I mean he's apparently in your building, according to his chip. Likely in your office but I have no way to be sure what floor he's on."

Sophia made an incredulous face. Esteban would have had to either be walked here by Eugene and be left behind (impossible!) or have wandered out by himself (also impossible!) or...

She peered under her desk, her blue eyes falling on the large tote she took to work with her. She had definitely stood it upright earlier. It hadn't felt any heavier than normal, either. This was...concerning, to say the least. She hadn't seen him when had removed some of her notes and things from that bag earlier. But that was the only possible explanation for him being near her and not at home, where he belonged.

"I'll be there shortly, Laurent's attitude be damned."

She sighed and placed her phone on her desk, staring at her screen for a moment. It wasn't like Esteban to  _not_ be home, or if he wasn't, not be on a leash. Vincent never let his Princeling out of his sight except for vet visits. Maybe she'd be able to at least edit that article before giving it to Louise to proof.

She glanced at the doorway to find Vincent walking through, Raphael's assistant begging him to just wait until her boss came back or she would call security.

_Of course not. Why should I ever get to actually do my job for once? It's not like I get paid for it or anything!_  She thought bitterly, mentally rolling her eyes. She turned to watch the scene for a moment.

Vincent turned on his heel to face the woman and gave the young girl a look Sophia remembered well. Raised eyebrow, smug expression, innocence dripping from his words "Would you bar a man from seeing the woman he loves?"

"But you're..."

"I'm well aware of who I am. But why not just...pretend I'm not here?"

Sophia stood up from her chair and walked over, ushering the assistant away with a whispered, "I'll take care of it, just leave Raphael out of it."

She looked up at Vincent, seeing a crack in the facade; the crease between his brows was deeper and he wore something between a frown and a grimace. He almost seemed to be looking  _through_ her. Sophia knew Vincent to be overdramatic when he was upset or simply had grandiose ideas. She had seen him angry and sad and every emotion in between.

But this...this was different.

"Have you caught any sight of him?"

Sophia's heart almost broke at hearing the desperation in his voice.

"I only just got back from a meeting."

She turned when a flash of red hair caught her attention, expecting her boss. Instead, Eugene walked in, winded.

"No sight of him in the other departments on this floor." He wheezed, doubling over with his hands on his knees.

Vincent let out a breath through his nose and looked off to the side for a moment and she couldn't place whether he was annoyed or slightly heartbroken.

The assistant came back over, insistent. "Sophia, either take it outside or ask your guests to leave. This isn't social hour."

Sophia permitted herself a glare at the younger woman that quickly disappeared when she glanced at Vincent again, his eyes scanning the spaces he could see for his dog.

"Give us ten minutes. No one else is back yet-"

A large Euro bill came into her peripheral vision, Vincent's immaculate fingers holding it out.

"Why don't you go and grab everyone something to drink? I'm sure Mr. Laurent would like his usual after a stressful meeting."

Sophia looked at the young woman, flicking her gaze to the bill to make her point.  _Just take it and go, please!_

The assistant hesitated, looking skeptically at Vincent again before taking the bill and tucking it away and heading out the door.

"That was easy enough," he muttered, walking away to begin checking under desks.

They searched the main area, looking at everyone's desk to see if there was even a sign of the pug. Nothing. He wasn't under the desks or near the break room or lounging in the sun. A quick glance of Raphael's office told very much the same story. The room was constantly messy, but a mess he would know was disturbed if they tried to look too hard.

No Esteban.

"How long do you imagine she'll be gone?" He murmured, green eyes falling on the door again.

"It's late morning, she has about thirty orders. At least a half hour," Sophia answered, hands falling to straighten his tie herself for a moment.

He rarely let her as it was and didn't offer the usual playful glare. His mind was elsewhere. Vincent Karm distracted was sometimes amusing, at least when he was thinking of things related to his business. But this...this Vincent...a knife twisted in her gut looking at him.

It killed her to see him so sad. Esteban meant a lot to him, something she gleaned from the moment she saw that painting behind his desk. If he could be said to love any other living creature prior to their relationship, it was Esteban. A constant companion through long nights, a happy face when he got home, a loving animal to care for and make life less...empty.

Sophia thought his words were over the top when she asked about the picture in his jail cell but canine soulmate was the closest thing to describe the bond between them.

His hand fell to hers, lifting it gently to his lips without ever breaking eye contact. It was a gesture she knew meant more than it seemed to, one of the only ways he allowed himself to show affection in a public or professional setting.

"He's a clever dog but he loves you. He wouldn't leave you." She whispered.

He only pressed his lips to her knuckles again before pulling away. She watched him gesture to Eugene and the pair walked out of the office, heading towards the stairs to search the rest of the building.

* * *

They came back some time later when the office was filled again. The assistant had come back with a stack of orders, dropping the change at Sophia's desk with a glare after she had given out the cups.

The same glare she was giving Sophia  _now_ for the man sitting beside her. He was silent, despondent, and holding a plush banana toy. He held the dog toy like it was the most fragile thing in the world. Eugene was outside on the phone, pacing in front of the large glass doors.

Sophia continued to edit and ignored the assistant. She had passed her coffee onto Vincent but it sat on her desk, growing cold. She had never seen him so...broken, so quiet.

The glass doors opened and Raphael walked through, his eyes focused on the file in front of him.  People moved out of the way, grabbed stray chairs and wheeled them out of his path just in time, stopped conversations mid-sentence as he passed by. He was focused, enamored with a story someone had passed to him.

He stopped on the way to his office, looking up from the file before turning his head towards Sophia. He squinted, not quite sure if he could believe his eyes.

She glanced at Vincent, finding the sad expression gone, replaced with a glare she had only seen once in her life. If looks could kill, Raphael would be dead where he stood.

"Anyone care to explain why this man is here?" Raphael peered around, everyone ducking behind their computers.

Raphael Laurent was a notorious pushover. A last-minute day off? No problem. A deadline extension? Sure thing. An interoffice relationship? Just be sure to disclose it with HR and not bring the drama with you.

A rule they both broke some time ago.

But when it came to unwelcome guests, when it came to  _Vincent Karm_  in  _his_ office, the office said man once took away from him? It was like a switch was flicked.

"No?" Raphael snapped, his angry gaze falling on Vincent again. "Sophia, go home. And if you can't follow protocol and differentiate between your personal life and your job, don't consider coming back."

Vincent rose to protest but Raphael swiftly walked into his office and slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing in the silent office.

Someone could have dropped a pin and it would have been just as loud as the door.

"Back to work!" Louise snapped, breaking everyone out of their shock. The other woman simply gave Sophia a severe look and shook her head as she went back to her desk.

She swallowed hard, her chest constricting. Her thoughts raced as she stared at her screen. He  _would_ do that, threaten her in front of everyone, in front of Vincent. They all  _knew_ the history she had with him and he was simply posturing to put her back in her place for breaking the rules. Those who knew the story between him and Vincent, however, knew it was more than just a jealous ex distancing himself.

Sophia ran her fingers through her dark hair, closing her eyes and willing herself not to cry. Not now. Later.

First Esteban, now this.

Vincent was saying something to her but she couldn't hear him. Everything was foggy. She had never been fired before. Or threatened to be fired. Raphael had left her on the staff because he knew she was an asset, because it brought more status to his publication to have the woman who saved Paris writing for him. But he hadn't been able to get rid of his jealousy, of his annoyance that she had decided not to come back to him. That she picked Vincent Karm over him.

"Sophia, listen to me." She turned her heads towards him, finally hearing his words clearly. "He can't do that. It's not grounds to fire someone."

"He'd make something else up."

"And if he did, I'd buy out the publication again and make you CEO."

She smiled weakly, knowing that he'd keep his promise if it came to that.

"I'll be right back." He whispered, making his way towards the back of the space and Raphael's office.

Vincent got halfway and stopped when a familiar barking rang through the office. Followed by a series of snarls.

He looked back at Sophia, whose wide eyes went from Raphael's door to Vincent. "We looked!" she mouthed, confusion crossing her features.

Vincent's head snapped back to the office door as Raphael darted out, Esteban on his heels, barking. Raphael ran around the perimeter of the space, the pug never far behind. Sophia watched the scene unfold, her boss frantic as he tried to get away from the dog.

Her blue eyes looked at Vincent, who had never looked happier. His amused chuckle was the only other sound anyone else made.

Esteban backed Raphael into a corner, snorting once, taking a low stance.

"Get your mutt out of this office, Karm!" Raphael shouted, his glasses askew. "He was sleeping in my chair!"

"How dare you! He's a purebred!" The other Frenchman growled.

"Get. Him. Out."

"Do you promise to not fire Ms. Cousland?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "I refuse to agree to anything under duress, you scoundrel!"

Esteban barked again and Raphael jumped, turning his body towards the wall, shielding himself.  

"I'll repeat myself. Do you retract your threat to fire Sophia Cousland?"

The grin on Vincent's face was vicious, as if he was a cat having gotten the canary. Sophia reached for his hand to ask him to just call Esteban off, to forget it, that she'd find another job. He looked at her briefly, nodding his head towards Raphael for her to watch.

"Fine, fine! I take it back."

Esteban gave a series of barks again, bearing his teeth.

"What else, Laurent?"

"I'll stop throwing away the gifts you have delivered here."

Sophia gasped, looking offended. "You've done  _what_?!" She cried. "How could you?!"

Esteban moved forward, growling louder than before.

"And you're allowed in the building! Just not in the office."

"I can live with that." Vincent smirked. "Esteban,  _viens_!"

The pug snapped at Raphael once more before trotting over to Vincent, tongue hanging out of his mouth. His curled tail wagged happily as he looked up at Vincent proudly.

Vincent picked up the dog, giving him a firm gaze. "Good job, my Princeling."

Sophia scratched the dog behind his ears as Esteban looked up, gently kissing Vincent on the nose the way a small child would hesitantly hug an angry parent.

"We were worried, little one." She whispered, kissing the pug on his head. Sophia turned to Vincent, his earlier demeanor replaced with something warmer than his usual smug aloofness.

"I should let you get back to work before he has a coronary." Vincent turned his attention back to her. "I need to have a word with Esteban about sneaking out."

"Don't be too harsh on him."

"Never. But perhaps I'll have something waiting for you to make up for all of the other gifts you never got."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to." He reached down and kissed her cheek, unbothered by the spectators around them. "I'll see you at home,  _ma cherie_."

She watched the pair meet with Eugene, who no doubt heard the entire exchange, and then head towards the elevator. Sophia smiled as Vincent held Esteban's paw, waving it softly as the door closed.

She turned her attention back to her computer, the room silent as Raphael made his way back to his office, the door shutting quietly behind him. The space was soon filled with keyboard keys and mouse clicks, phones ringing and muted conversations, as if the previous half of the morning hadn't happened at all.


End file.
